This is the second album by Belgian post-hardcore band Ronker.
Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever contains 40 minutes of atypical, multifaceted post-hardcore. Ronker’s music is not always easy to categorise, but it is easy to like. Very easy, in fact. Yep, Ronker have unleashed a very specific kind of mutant beast with this record.
Post-hardcore is not truly a term that completely fits Ronker, but it’ll do at a pinch. In truth there’s a lot going on here. Different facets of noise rock, punk, thrash metal, post-punk, and post-rock are all shaved off their original genres and melted down into a gloriously kaleidoscopic pot of juicy metallic/punky/hard rocking goodness. Or something. Basically, Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever does a lot with a lot, and it rules.
The songs are versatile and pulse with vibrant life. They’re dark and gritty, with a punk snarl that’s unmistakable. Around this a range of different structures are built, erected and torn down on a whim, based on the needs of any given song. We get bold bombastic drama and shimmering beauty, expressive nuance and blunt force trauma, controlled worldbuilding and feral chaos, expressive melody and desensitised anger, quirky flavour and atmospheric depth, and much else.
Ronker have thrown a lot into this record, but it remains remarkably holistic; it’s equally compelling whether each song is taken on an individual basis, or whether the album is considered as a whole. It’s varied and interesting, delivering an adrenaline rush of idiosyncratic heaviness that’ll get mosh pits exploding, while also having the breadth and importantly the ability to pull off emotional powerhouses like album centrepiece Snuff and its subsequent instrumental partner Where the Dogs Sleep. Potent stuff.
Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever is a really fun, enjoyable record, but has a heart of real feeling. The songs are creative and engaging, and the album flies by before you know it. Ronker’s raw enthusiasm and abrasive energy are infectious, and their hooks dig deep.
A really entertaining record. Respect the Hustle, I Won’t Be Your Dog Forever has a strong personality and great songs. What’s not to like? Long live Ronker!
Essential listening for fans of bands such as Better lovers, The Callous Daoboys, Chat Pile, Eyes, God Alone, Irk, Mother Vulture, Uncultivates, etc.
Wonderbox Metal 